6 Surprising Plants You Need to Start in Autumn

27 October 2026, written by Benedict Vanheems

Many gardeners have happily retired indoors for the year, but if you ask me, that’s a mistake! There’s still plenty that you can start this month, even if all you’ve got is a windowsill.

I’ve rummaged through my seed box and have picked six crops that are perfect for sowing now, including plants that will grow right through winter indoors, a crop that positively loves chilly weather, and even something that grows in the dark! So, grab yourself a brew and let’s get sowing…

Overwintering Fava Beans

First up is a true workhorse of the garden and, to be frank, my favorite autumn sowing: fava beans. Sow a hardy variety now and the plants will sit tight through winter, then positively gallop away come spring for some of the earliest beans you can pick. And, being legumes, they’ll leave the soil richer in nitrogen than they found it – how obliging of them! They’re also incredibly good for the old noggin.

The trick is to choose a variety bred specifically for sowing at this time of year – tougher, hardier specimens that laugh in the face of a frost! – including the likes of Aquadulce Claudia, Luz de Otoño, Super Aquadulce, Sweet Lorane, and Windsor.

Grow your beans a sunny spot with free-draining soil. That’s important, because it’s often cold, claggy soil that is the nemesis of these beans at this time of year, rather than the cold itself.

Fava bean seeds — Easy-to-sow fava beans are tough enough to sit out most winters

Make holes about 2 in (5 cm) deep, and about 8in (20 cm) apart each way. If you’re sowing a bigger area you could sow in rows spaced around a foot (30 cm) apart, with about 6 in (15 cm) between beans within the row. Then just cover them back over, and it’s job done!

(Top tip: sow a few extra beans into pots to fill in gaps should any not make it.)

But what if mice are a problem in your garden? The solution is to sow into pots or deep plugs and keep them under cover, out of the way of rodents, before transplanting the seedlings once they’ve grown on a bit towards the end of winter.

In colder climates – say, zone 6 or below, where winters regularly plunge below about 15°F (-9°C) – you’re better off waiting until late winter or early spring to start sowing.

Come spring, support the plants with some stakes and twine or string to prevent them from flopping over. Then once the first pods begin to form, pinch out the top inch or so (2-3 cm) of each stem. It sounds brutal but it deters blackfly, which adore those soft tips, and it encourages the plants to focus on pod production. Pick the pods while they’re still young and tender and you’ll taste beans sweeter and more buttery than any you’ve ever had!

Dividing Rhubarb

Now, strictly speaking, our next crop isn’t a sowing – but it is a brilliant way to make more plants for free, either to replant or to share with family and friends. Now is the perfect time to divide rhubarb, as soon as the plant is dormant and the leaves have died back.

If your rhubarb is five years old or more, and especially if the stems are getting thin and spindly, it’s ready to be lifted and split. Do this every five to ten years and you’ll keep the plants vigorous, productive and youthful.

Cut all the way around the crown with a sharp spade, then lever it out of the ground. Mind your back – it can be a heavy old beast! Next, look for the plump, pinkish-red buds. Cut through the crown with your spade or a sharp knife so that each piece has at least one or two good buds and a healthy chunk of root. Older crowns may have a woody centre that is less productive. Cut it out and pop it onto the compost heap.

Rhubarb likes a part-shaded spot with rich, free-draining soil. To replant, dig in a couple of good bucketfuls of well-rotted compost to help the plants on their way. Plant each division so the buds are just at the surface, or no more than about an inch (2-3 cm) below it. If you’re planting more than one, set them about 3ft (90cm) apart. Firm it in, water well, and finish off with a mulch of compost, keeping it clear of those buds.

The one rule with newly divided rhubarb is patience! Don’t harvest anything in the first year, and only pick lightly the year after, to let the plant build itself up. But after that, you’re good to go! Come spring, you’ll have new plants that will keep on giving for many years, and that’s not bad for a touch of spadework and a bit of muscle.

Garlic in a container — Growing garlic in containers is a smart choice on hopelessly wet soils

Garlic in Containers

Next up, the mighty garlic. Only last week I planted up my raised beds with garlic, but you can also plant garlic into pots. This is a really fab option if your garden soil is heavy or gets saturated over winter, if you’ve had issues with diseases like white rot in the past, or if you’re just short on space. Garlic hates sitting in wet soil, so this way you control the drainage.

It’s worth buying garlic sold for planting rather than using supermarket bulbs, which may carry diseases and haven’t been chosen to suit your climate. There are two main types: hardneck garlic, which does best in colder climates and produces edible flower stems called scapes; and softneck garlic, which is better suited to milder winters and typically stores for longer.

Use a pot that’s at least 8 in (20 cm) deep, with plenty of drainage holes, and fill it with all-purpose potting mix mixed with a little grit for extra drainage.

Break the bulb into its individual cloves and choose the biggest, plumpest ones – they’ll give the best bulbs. Plant each clove pointy end up, so that the tip sits just below the surface, and space them about 4-6 in (10-15 cm) apart. In a 12 in (30 cm)-wide pot, that means room for about five cloves.

Garlic needs a spell of cold weather to form good bulbs, so leave the pots outdoors over winter, perhaps in a sheltered spot. If it gets really wet you could always pop them into an unheated greenhouse or cold frame where it still gets nice and chilly but will avoid the potting mix getting saturated.

Water only when the potting mix dries out, and in spring give them a liquid feed to help bulk up the bulbs – something like a fish emulsion would be ideal. Then, when the lower leaves turn yellow and flop over, usually by midsummer, they’re ready to lift, dry and store.

Beansprouts in 5 Days

And now for something completely different, and it uses no soil at all: crunchy, fresh-tasting beansprouts for stir-fries and noodle soups. They’re ready in mere days, and you don’t even need a garden!

For this you’ll need some mung beans. Add two tablespoons of beans into a jar and then pour in some lukewarm water. Set the jar aside to soak overnight – this will wake the beans up and stir them into life.

The next day, drain them through a piece of muslin secured onto the top of the jar with a rubber band. Give them a good rinse then lay the jar at an angle or upside-down so any water can drain away.

The routine from here couldn’t be easier: rinse then immediately drain the beans at least twice a day. That’s the secret of great beansprouts – give them lots of moisture but never leave them sitting in water, or they’ll spoil. Keep them at normal room temperature and out of direct sunlight, as the dark makes for crunchier, whiter sprouts. Keep them in complete darkness – maybe in a cupboard – for the whitest sprouts.

In just four to five days, you’ll have beansprouts that are a few inches (about 5 cm) long, ready to eat. Give them a final rinse then store them in the fridge to enjoy within a couple of days. They’re best lightly cooked, particularly if you’re serving them to young children, elderly people, or anyone with a weakened immune system.

Growing Basil in Winter

How about a real taste of summer in the depths of winter? Basil may not be an obvious choice for this time of year, granted, but sow it now and keep the pot on a bright windowsill, and you can be picking fresh leaves for pasta, pizza and salads through the colder months. Just the aroma of basil is enough to transport you to a sunny Mediterranean hillside!

Basil loves the warmth and plenty of sun, but light levels are low right now, so choose your spot wisely. We need a bright, sun-facing windowsill; if you’ve got a grow light, even better. Compact varieties such as ‘Spicy Globe’ or ‘Greek’ basil are great for pots, and ‘Genovese’ is the classic for pesto.

Fill a pot with some sieved all-purpose potting mix. Water it well and let it drain. Then sprinkle the tiny seeds thinly over the surface, and follow up with a very fine covering of potting mix – just enough for the seeds to vanish from view. To help them get started, secure a clear plastic bag over the pot or place it under a humidity dome. Basil germinates best at around 70°F (21°C), so a warm spot indoors is just perfect. The seedlings should be up in about week to ten days.

Once they germinate, remove the plastic bag or lid and move the pot onto that bright windowsill. Thin out the seedlings to a few strong ones, and be careful not to overwater, because damp roots in cold potting mix is the fastest way to lose your basil. Keep the leaves away from the cold glass on frosty nights.

The best way to harvest is to pinch or snip stems just above a pair of leaves. This will help to make plants bushier, giving even more leaves to pick.

Narcissus bulb — Bulbs are easy to plant and will provide spring color for years to come

Planting Spring Bulbs

It’s all too easy to focus on vegetable garden blooms that flower their hearts out in the summer, but having something to look forward to in spring will warm the heart! Autumn is a great time to plant spring bulbs like daffodils and crocuses, which will provide forage for bees early in the year when there’s not much else in flower.

Simply space the bulbs out on the soil surface where you want them to grow so you can find a pleasing arrangmenet – a naturalistic formation usually looks much better than straight rows – and then plant the bulbs where they lie. As a rough rule of thumb, most bulbs should be planted about two or three times as deep as the bulb itself. Water them in and then look forward to enjoying their beautiful blooms in spring!